Hand painting toy with snap-in print wheel



Sept. 9, 1969 M. J. OPPENHEIM HAND PAINTING TOY WITH SNAP-IN PRINT WHEEL Filed June 8, 1966 INVENTOR fi/C/MEL J OPPENHE/M ATTORNEYS United States Patent 3,465,673 HAND PAINTING TOY WITH SN AP-IN PRINT WHEEL Michael J. Oppenheim, Cincinnati, Ohio, assignor to Kenner Products Company, Cincinnati, Ohio, a corporation of Delaware Filed June 8, 1966, Ser. No. 556,202 Int. Cl. B41k 1/22 US. Cl. 101-328 2 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE A painting toy for use by children of the type comprising a partially hollow handle, a paint wheel having an axle portion on each side thereof, suspension means for holding the paint wheel in operational relation with the handle, and an ink pad positioned within the hollow handle for abutting the paint wheel during use of the toy. The suspension apparatus is preferably characterize-d bv a relatively rigid yoke providing a throat access to the bearing structure in combination with relatively flexible axle portions of the paint wheel so that an easy and convenient snap in-snap out relation is established for holding the paint wheel in operational relation with the hollow handle. This permits rapid changing of paint wheels as well as different colored ink pads within the hollow handle by children.

This invention relates to toys. More particularly, this invention relates to a painting toy of the printing wheel type, the toy being adapted for use by children to paint pictures or other original designs.

Marking devices utilizing rotating print wheel members, whereby indicia of one type or another is rolled on a printing surface, are well known in the prior art. Such marking devices have been employed, for example, as stamp cancelers, ruling pens, striping markers, and fluid applicators. There are many different types of products known for each class of the marking device end uses just stated. However, in each case the prior art devices are not adaptable for use as toys by children of a relatively young age. For example, the prior art devices do not readily permit changing the color of the printed indicia, an attribute that is desirable in a painting toy in order that the attention of children may be maintained. In addition, the prior art devices do not readily permit changing the printing indicia itself, another desirable attribute in a painting toy so that children may paint pictures and other designs with some degree of originality. Also, the prior art devices do not lend themselves to production line or eflicient modes of manufacture as the end cost of such devices is high enough to make their manufacture as toys prohibitive.

The simple painting toy of this invention alleviates the abovementioned problems by providing a hollow handle having one end closed and one end opened, a yoke secured to the handle at its open end, a print wheel having printing indicia thereon journalled by means of an axle in the yoke, and an ink cartridge having a wick, the ink cartridge residing inside the hollow handle and being adapted to freely slide between a first position whereat the wick engages the printing indicia and a second position whereat the wick is out of engagement with the printing indicia. The axle and yoke structure is adopted to provide a simple snap-in, snap-out relationship with the print wheel.

In operation, a preferred color ink cartridge is selected from a number of ink cartridges provided with the painting toy, each cartridge in the selection carrying a different color ink, and inserted or dropped into the hollow handle while the handle is being held yoke up. A print wheel having desired printing indicia is selected from a number of print wheels, each print wheel in the selection carrying different printing indicia, and is snapped into operational engagement with the yoke. The combina tion is then turned right-side up and the wick of the ink cartridge slides into into operational position with the print wheel. The print wheel is then rotated over the surface to be painted while the toy is held by the handle, thereby permitting designs and pictures to be painted as desired by a child.

Accordingly, it has been the primary objective of this invention to provide a painting toy having a print wheel which is adapted for use by children in the creative painting of pictures or other original designs.

It has been another objective of this invention to provide a painting toy for use by children which has structure permitting easy assembly and disassembly of the toy to provide for quick, simple changes of printing indicia and color.

It has been a further objective of this invention to provide a painting toy for use by children which provides a rapid snap-in, snap-out relationship of the print wheels with the handle of the toy.

It has been still another objective of this invention to provide a painting toy for use by children wherein the print wheel is formed of a relatively flexible material and the handle structure is formed of a relatively rigid material, thereby facilitating the snap-in, snap-out relationship of the print wheel with the handle.

It has been still a further objective of this invention to provide a painting toy for use by children which permits rapid changes of colors by using a plurality of ink cartridges, each carrying a different color and each being readily slidable into operational relationship with the print wheel.

It has been yet another objective of this invention to provide a painting toy for use by children which permits the ink cartridge to be displaced from cooperation with the print wheel by merely turning the hand painting toy upside down.

It has been yet a further objective of this invention to provide a painting toy for use by children that carries printing indicia on the print wheel which has a relatively high coefficient of friction, thereby providing improved transferral of the ink from the printing indicia to the surface to be painted.

It has been another objective of this invention to provide a painting toy for use by children which is produced from molded plastic parts such that it is economical to manufacture.

It has been an additional object of this invention to produce a painting toy for use by children having structural characteristics such that it will withstand the abuse and rough handling to which toys of this type are subjected in the normal course of play.

These and other objects and advantages of the present invention will be more readily apparent from the following detailed description of the drawings which illustrate a preferred embodiment of the invention.

In the drawings:

FIGURE 1 is a side perspective view of the handle of the painting toy showing the sliding of an ink cartridge into the hollow handle interior.

FIGURE 2 is a side perspective view similar to FIG- URE 1 showing engagement of a print wheel with the handle.

FIGURE 3 is a side perspective view of the assembled painting toy showing the toy in operational or painting position.

FIGURE 4 is a cross-sectional view taken along line 44 of FIGURE 3.

FIGURE 5 is a view of the yoke-print wheel assembly showing the cooperation of the relatively flexible print wheel axle with the relatively rigid yoke as the print wheel is inserted into operational position.

FIGURE 6 is a side view of a typical print wheel used with this invention.

FIGURE 7 is a cross-sectional view taken along line 7-7 of FIGURE 6.

FIGURE 8 is a side view of an alternative embodiment of a print wheel which may be used in this invention.

FIGURE 9 is a cross-sectional view taken along line 99 of FIGURE 8.

FIGURE 10 is a side perspective view of print blocks which are for use with the alternative print wheel embodiment shown in FIGURES 8 and 9.

As may best be seen from FIGURES l and 2, the painting toy produced according to the principles of this invention includes a handle and yoke, generally denoted at 11, a print wheel 12, and an ink cartridge 13. The handle and yoke 11 includes a handle 14 which is tubular in shape and is closed at one end 15 and open at the other end 16. Integral with the open end 16 of the tubular handle 14 is a yoke 17. The yoke 17 is provided with flanges 18 on either side of each of its arms 19 to increase its structural rigidity under operational conditions. At the tip 20 of each of the yokes arms 19 is provided a keyhole slot 28 having a bearing surface 21 into which one end of a hollow axle 22 of the print wheel 12 may be journalled. .Each bearing surface 21 communicates with the tip 20 of each arm 19 of the yoke 17 through the throat 23 of the keyhole slot 28, the width of the throat being slightly less than the diameter of the hollow axle 22. The yoke 17 and handle 14 are preferably formed from an ABS plastic, i.e., a copolymer of acrylonitrile, butadiene and styrene, the ABS having a relatively high styrene content. Thus, the ABS employed is a relatively rigid or stiif material. Because ABS materials are thermoplastic, the yoke 17 and the handle 14 are preferably integrally formed and may be economically produced by an injection molding machine.

The print wheel 12 is best depicted in FIGURES 6 and 7 and includes printing indicia 24, a wheel rim 25, spokes 26 and the hollow axle 22. The structural rigidity of the print wheel 12 is augmented by a rim support disc 27 formed integral with the wheel rim 25, spokes 26, and axle 22, the disc being of a thickness sufliicient to provide the necessary support to maintain the wheel rim circularly disposed. The flexibility of the wheel axle 22 is increased because it is formed as a hollow, instead of a solid, axle. The print wheel 12 preferably is formed from a relatively flexible, yielding material such as a rubber, e.g., Shell Thermolastic Rubber #200, and when such material is used the print wheel may be economically produced by an injection molding machine.

It will be noted that the printing indicia 24 are formed integral with the wheel rim 25; for this reason a plurality of print wheels 12, each carrying different indicia 24, are supplied with the toy as it is sold commercially, thereby providing the child with a choice of printing indicia. Also, a plurality of color cartridges 13 are supplied to permit ink color changes. Therefore, the relative flexibility of the print wheel axle 22 and the relative rigidity of the yoke 17 forms an important part of this invention because the simple, quick interchangeability of the print wheel 12 with the yoke 17 provides one of the primary attributes of the toy.

Because of the flexibility of the print wheel axle 22, it may be quickly and simply snapped into or out of the keyhole slots 28 in the yoke 17. As may be seen in FIG- URE 5, the keyhole slot throat 23 at each arm tip 20 of the yoke 17 does not spread apart to permit entry of the axle 22 into the bearing surfaces 21. Instead, the hollow axle 22, because of the relatively flexible material used in its formation and because the axle is hollow, flexes or compresses such that it may be snapped into or out of the bearing surfaces 21. It is important that the print wheel 12 be formed of the relatively flexible material and the yoke 17 be formed of the relatively rigid material, and not vice versa, as a flexible yoke would tend to hinder the painting qualities of the toy. That is, if the relatively flexible material were used to form the yoke 17, flexure would occur within the yoke which may cause uneven application of ink to the painting surface, as well as cause limited useful life of the marking device through cracking of the yoke and handle 11 due to repeated stressing thereof. The fact that the relatively flexible material is used to form the print wheel 12 also facilitates the transfer of the ink from the printing indicia 24 to the surface. That is, because there is a little give present in the printing indicia 24, better and more complete contact of the printing indicia with the surface to be colored is provided, i.e., the printing indicia do not tend to skip over the printing surface and leave blank spaces.

The ink cartridge 13 is best shown in FIGURE 4 and includes an ink pad 29, a holder 30 for the pad, and a stem 31. The ink pad holder 30 is of dimensions slightly smaller than the internal diameter of the tubular handle 14, thereby permitting ready movement of the ink cartridge 13 into and out of, as well as within, the handle. Tip 32 of the stem 31 may slide between the closed end 15 of the handle and the operative or painting position of the toy, as shown in FIGURE 4. That is, when it is desired to clean or change the print wheel 12, the toy need merely be turned upside down and the ink cartridge 13 will slide toward the closed end 15 of the tubular handle 14, its movement being limited by engagement of tip 32 with the closed end. When it is desired to paint with the toy, it is merely turned right-side up and the ing cartridge 13 will shift to the position shown in FIG- URE 4, thereby engaging the printing indicia 24 for the transferral of ink thereto.

In operation, the first step in painting with the toy is to select an ink cartridge 13 from a plurality of different colored ink cartridges provided with the toy, the ink cartridge selected having an ink pad 29 which carries the desired color. The ink cartridge 13 is then inserted or dropped into the hollow tubular handle 14, as shown in FIGURE 1. The next step is to select a print wheel 12 from a plurality of print wheels provided with the toy, each carrying different printing indicia. Thereafter, the selected print wheel 12 is inserted into operational relationship with the handle structure 11 by engaging the axle 22 with the bearing surfaces 21 on the yoke 17, as shown in FIGURES 2 and 5. That is, the print wheel 12 is pushed into the yoke 17 through the throats 23 of the keyhole slots 28 until the axle 22 snaps into operational position with the bearing surfaces 21. Both the insertion of the ink cartridge 13 and the assembling of the print wheel 12 into operational relationship with the handle structure 11 should be performed while the closed end 15 of the tubular handle 14 is in a position substantially below the open end 16 of the handle 14 to prevent inadvertent contact of the ink pad 29 with the printing indicia 24. After assemblage of the painting toy, the tubular handle 14 is grasped as is shown in FIGURE 3. When the painting toy is in the position shown in FIG- URE 3, the ink pad 29 will rest on the printing indicia 24, as shown in FIGURE 4, thereby transfering ink to the printing indicia, the ink subsequently being rolled on the surface to be painted. For best results, the print wheel 12 should be rolled slowly with a light, even pressure to ensure sharp patterns in the transfer of ink.

The print wheel embodiment described above possesses printing indicia that are integral with the wheel rim. In the alternative embodiment of the print wheel, as depicted in FIGURES 8, 9, and 10, a child may formulate his or her own printing indicia 35 on print wheel base 36 through use of print blocks 34. As seen in FIGURE 9,

the alternative embodiment of the print wheel includes a hollow axle 37 as before described. Integral with the axle 37 is a support disc 39, which disc structurally interrelates wheel rim 40 and the axle 37. Integral with the wheel rim 40 is a rim bead 41, the rim bead being related to the rim 40 by means of an annular flange 42. Spokes 43 are also provided, as are shown in FIGURE 8.

The interchangeable printing indicia 35 are shown in the manufactured state in FIGURE 10. The print blocks 34 each may possess either letters, numbers, or designs. As manufactured, the print blocks 34 may be formed in an injection molding machine, and are preferably held together by means of thin strips 44 that may be cut to separate the blocks. It will be noted that the sides of the print blocks 34 are keystone in shape. The keystone sides permit the blocks to be snapped adjacent one another on the rim bead 41 of the print wheel 36. A retainer channel 45 is provided in each block 34, the retainer channel having a cross-section design which permits the blocks to cooperate with the rim bead 41 and the flange 42. Thus, the blocks 34 are maintained in a snap-on, snap-oft operational relationship with the print wheel.

The alternative embodiment of the print wheel is used with the handle 14 and yoke 17 in the same manner as described with relation to the print wheels 12.

The painting toy of this invention provides children not only with the opportunity to paint pictures or other original designs, but may also be used in conjunction with coloring books. The toy may be used to decorate paper table covers and napkins for play parties. The toy may also be used on cloth such as, for example, to paint patterns for doll clothes and to make miniature Indian rugs and blankets.

Having completely described my invention, and having set forth its best embodiment, what I desire to claim and protect by Letters Patent is:

1. A hand painting toy for use by children comprising:

a handle having an open end and a closed end, said handle being substantially hollow,

a print wheel having a hollow axle portion on each side thereof, said axle portions being formed from a relatively flexible material,

a yoke secured to the open end of said handle for supporting said print wheel in operational relation with said handle, said yoke providing keyhole shaped structure associated with each yoke arm that estab-. lishes a bearing surface and a throat communicating between said bearing surface and at least one edge of each arm with said throat having a width less than that of said bearing surface, and said yoke being formed from a relatively rigid material to permit each of said hollow axle portions to be easily flexed through said throats so that said print wheel can be held in journalled relation with said handle, and

an ink pad inserted within said hollow handle, said ink pad being freely slidable within said handle at all times during toy use between a first position whereat said pad abuts said print wheel and a second position whereat said pad is recessed into said handle out of contact with said print wheel.

2. A hand painting toy as set forth in claim 1 wherein said relatively rigid material is an acrylonitrile-butadienestyrene material and said relatively flexible material is a rubber.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 301,310 7/1884 Weiss 10l330 366,789 7/1887 Orcutt 101329 391,228 10/1888 Burbank 101328 938,098 10/ 1909 Wilkoshesky 101330 1,722,867 7/1929 Testa 101-330 2,467,010 4/1949 Coley 101328 XR 2,643,609 6/1953 Gottscho 101-377 2,776,620 1/1957 Quimby 101-328 391,849 10/1888 Hopkins 401208 833,964 10/1906 Herman 401208 2,562,557 7/1951 Linberg l0l329 3,310,906 3/1967 Glukes 46--17 ROBERT E. PULFREY, Primary Examiner J. R. FISHER, Assistant Examiner US. Cl. X.R. 

